Over the years, I’ve found that the key to starting off your day right begins with prepping for it. Don’t want to forget your homework? Pack your bag the night before. Want to sleep in and not worry about breakfast? Prepare some overnight oats. Want to no longer be surprised by afternoon storms? Pack an umbrella and check the weather. We can apply all of these precautions to our week, too – and simplify our lives. Here’s what I like to do on a Sunday to make my upcoming workweek productive.
Wake up at a reasonable hour.
Unless I really need the sleep, I do my best not to sleep in Sunday morning. Otherwise, I find it harder to wake up early on Monday. Keeping a fairly consistent wakeup time, even on the weekends, makes it easier for me to wake up early on weekdays.
Get some cleaning done.
For me, unorganized spaces serve as a distraction and drain my energy. Usually because I either spend the time cleaning that space later, or try not to but end up repeatedly being distracted by it. This is especially helpful for those who stay and work at home during the week. A clean space is a functional space, so be sure to take this time to organize everything so things stay clean and uncluttered throughout the week.
Visualize your week.
On Sunday evenings, I like to get out my bullet journal and write down a rough outline of what I need to get done that week. This includes events, errands, and other tasks. I’ll pencil in everything that I need to get done for sure, which I’ll usually dedicate for the first few days. Then, as the days go by, any new tasks I might have will go to the latter days of the week, knowing that everything else that needed to get done was completed earlier.
Dedicating this time helps me to consider everything I want to get done that week and make sure it’s written down so I don’t forget. It also helps me make sure that I’m prioritizing my work and ensuring that I’m not going to overload myself. You never know what’s going to happen during the week, so it helps to have a plan with plenty of room for a backup.
Set some goals.
I also like to take this time to figure out what goals I have this week. Do I need to learn something new for work? Is there a book that I want to finish? Is there something new that I want to try? I will add all of these things into my weekly spread too. Setting weekly goals has been a great way for me to make progress in areas that I want to focus on. Plus, when I have no current goals, it forces me to figure out what I should improve next.
Do something relaxing.
I’m the kind of person whose mind is always racing and who always needs to be occupied by something. Despite this, I have found some ways that help me relax. And when I’m relaxed, I find that I work better on Mondays, probably because I feel well-rested. Try to do something for yourself on Sunday. For me, I have my own Sunday evening routine since my Sunday evenings are fairly consistent. With that being said…
Make sure you do all of your Monday prep work Sunday evening.
This is a given for every work or school night, but I’ve found that, on some Sundays, of all days, I push off some of this prep work for Monday morning. But then this always backfires, because when your Monday morning is smooth, neither is your Monday, and oftentimes your Tuesday, and so on. The first step of a good work or school day is a good, simple morning.
Meal plan.
Not everyone does this, but if you’re unsure of when you’re going to be able to cook, want to save money on meals, or just want to get everything done in one shot, you should try this! In college, I would prep some of my meals in advance and put everything in tupperware. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about skipping a meal, especially since I’d be up at 7AM and wouldn’t get back to the apartment until at earliest 9. If you’re an especially busy person, this is perfect as you won’t have to worry about when, where, and what you’re going to have to eat throughout the week. Plus, this is a great money-saver.
Do something productive.
My last two weekends were insanely productive. I had a lot I wanted to get done inside so I just went ahead and got it all done. These past two Mondays, I started work more energized than usual. Plus, I got a long list of after-work tasks done fairly quickly with plenty of time to spare. Why is this the case? I believe it has something to do with the little bursts of energy we get when we accomplish something.
So does this mean you have to sacrifice a lazy Sunday in? I don’t think so! This past week I feel accomplished because I finished 3 books. Personal to-dos can count towards this, getting out of the house can count towards this, anything that makes you feel like you made good use of the day will leave you with good feelings that can carry over to the week.
Self-reflect.
Mondays, am I right?
If you don’t want to go back to work or school on Monday, this could sap your energy going in. And you could be that guy in every office who belts out, “Happy (day of the week)! _ days till Friday!” every day, and as much as I promote positivity, that’s not getting to the root of the problem.
What’s rough about coming back on Mondays? What can you do to make Mondays (and the week) better, based on the answer to the last question?
You can also take this time to reflect on anything that’s been bothering you about life in general. Being able to resolve or start to resolve these feelings can take some weight off your shoulders and prepare you for the week ahead.
What do your Sundays look like? Let me know below.
Sincerely,
Julie Anna
